


The Guardians

by pixiecandy



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: But Zarkon is the crime boss, Elemental Magic, Evil Zarkon (Voltron), Explained in Story, F/M, Lotura - Freeform, M/M, Minor Injuries, Minor Violence, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Shadam, Slight crime boss AU, They have powers, Vigilante AU, adashi, futuristic setting, klance, slowburn, sorta - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-15
Updated: 2021-01-15
Packaged: 2021-03-13 13:53:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,879
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28779336
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pixiecandy/pseuds/pixiecandy
Summary: After the Paladins of the Five Guardians were murdered, the world has been in disarray. Former Black Paladin, Zarkon Daibazaal, seeks the new Paladins, desperate to have the power of the Five Guardians to finally have the world under his control.It is up to Voltron to stop his plans, all while navigating through new obstacles to make sure they stay alive. Will they succeed? Or is Zarkon not their biggest threat?
Relationships: Adam/Shiro (Voltron), Allura/Lotor (Voltron), Keith/Lance (Voltron)
Kudos: 13





	The Guardians

**Author's Note:**

> Hey y'all! I have not been active on here in a long time. I went through a major writer's block, and with Voltron ending the way it did, I wasn't too amped to continue writing for it. Though this is an idea that has been in my head for a while. Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy.

Shadow figures were dancing atop the rooftop, the stars splattered across the night sky serving as their stage set. 

It was an intricate dance, and a dangerous one. The partners in the dance were usually competing, looking for a chance to prove themselves better than the other. Some made the dance look elegant, and classy. You would stare at them and think that the dance had been planned. Everything was perfect, down to the way a piece of hair was curled around their face. 

Others made it look feral. Their desire to outshine their partner would drive them to lead the dance in a way their partner would get their feet stepped on. You would look at this dance and think that while it was mesmerizing, it wasn't one that you would want to participate in.

His form of dancing, though? It was a mixture of both. Many admired his skill, one that he perfected at a young age. He was always a prodigy. And he lived up to his title. Many enjoyed watching his performances, for its elegance, and its aggression. He pushed his partners to their limit, all while he surpassed his own. He took this dance very seriously, he carried himself with dignity and ferocity. 

Even during rehearsal, he gave it his all. He knew that if he didn't, he'd lose his touch. And he couldn't let that happen.

Though he knew that he didn't have time to dance when a voice came through his ear piece.

"Red, get out of there. We have everything, let's go!" the voice came from Blue, who sounded annoyed. If anything, it was Red who should be irritated. Blue was the one that triggered the alarm, the whole reason that Red had begun his vicious dance.

"I'm cleaning up your mess!" Red hissed, his partner delivering a hard kick to his stomach, sending him flying into the radiator atop the building. Red groaned as his back made contact, landing on the floor with a thud. In the back of his mind, a loud roar sounded.  _ Not yet. _

"I'm just a mess to you?" his partner pouted as she stepped closer, crouching down to be eye level with him.

"More like a nuisance." Red replied. She feigned a look of hurt, before her face went apathetic. 

"Yeah, well, my boss thinks the same about you. And if I bring her back your head, I'm sure she'll be generous with her payment." the woman stood, pulling a blade from somewhere in her bodysuit. Again, the roar echoed throughout his mind.  _ Not yet! _

She raised it, smiling cruelly. "Any last words?"

"How much can I get for your head?" confusion flashed across her face for a split second, but it was enough for him.  _ NOW ! _

The roar sounded one last time, and Red let the energy flow through his body. It was like he flipped a switch, the pain now only becoming a dull throb. He stood up without difficulty, a smirk on his face. She stared, mouth open with shock.

"The rumors are true."

Red knew what she was referring to, considering her gaze never left his eyes. The reason for that would be that the corners of his violet eyes were now leaking a red aura, showing off his power. Soon enough, the same red aura painted intricate lines down his arms, their light muffled by his black long sleeve. He looked down at his hands, and raised his palm up, a fire igniting on the surface.

"Yes, they are. But the problem with that is nobody can know this little secret. Defeats the purpose of the whole Robin Hood shtick. So, we'll have to fix that." He took a step forward, and it was like the woman remembered she had a weapon. She threw the dagger with such accuracy that it would have gone through his head, had his instincts not told him to move out of the way. He moved with agility and grace, not afraid to meet her head on.

A new fear had been instilled in her though. 

She pulled out another knife, throwing it as she scurried backwards. He raised his hand and let out a large flame, which melted the silver, the handle falling to the ground. She stared in horror. He backed her up until she was right against the edge of the roof. He moved closer, his hand shooting up and closing around her throat, his other hand in the air and pointed at her face. 

Her hands clawed up at his, eyes wide with fear.

Blue's voice came through the earpiece again. "Red, I am seriously going to leave you in ten seconds."

Red rolled his eyes, knowing that Blue wasn't serious. They had taken Red's motorcycle so there was no chance Blue was getting back to their base, unless he wanted to spend a couple hours walking. 

"Where are the Galra planning to strike next?" Red growled, tightening his grip. It wasn't enough to restrict her airflow but enough for her to know he was serious.

"Go fuck yourself!" she managed, nails digging into his hand. All Red had to do was heat up his hand just a bit before she hissed in pain, dropping her hands down at her sides. He raised the temperature again, the woman howling in pain.

He could hear the sizzle of her flesh.

"Tell me where and the pain will cease." he growled, pushing her over the edge of the roof. She gasped loudly, her feet no longer on solid ground. Her hands clutched at his arm, desperately swinging her legs in the air. She tried to kick but to no avail, her enhanced strength rendered useless.

"Okay, okay! They’re going to Olkari Tech for some super powered battery on the 17th! Now let me go!" the woman finally gave in. Red smiled, and blinked, the aura gone from his eyes.

"If you say so." he released his grip, the woman screaming as she plummeted down the building. Red watched, her body landing with a loud slam against the concrete. The few people on the sidewalk screamed, cars braking and drivers getting out to see the corpse. Red simply turned around, and went to pick up the dagger that was lodged into the radiator before leaving.

He leapt from roof to roof before he reached an alleyway. He climbed down with practiced ease, finding a figure leaning against his motorcycle. The figure wore the same all black outfit he did, but the stripes on his shoulders and elbows were blue, instead of red. It was a black long sleeve turtleneck paired with simple black workout joggers.

"Jesus Christ, Red! It may be 2 in the morning but there's still people out! You couldn't have killed her on the roof, or simply knocked her out?" Blue borderline shouted, shoving his phone in his face that already showed reports of the incident. Red rolled his eyes, walking towards him. He held out the knife, letting Blue grab it and examine it for a couple of seconds, though his gaze was back on him soon enough.

"She told me to let her go, and I listened. Besides, no mercy, right?" Red pushed by, choosing to ignore the concerned ocean eyes studying his face.

"Yeah, right. Now let's go, this part of town gives me the creeps." Blue put away the knife in a hidden compartment of the motorcycle, where he had also stored the flash drive full of information. Red and Blue tapped the side of their necks, activating their helmets which materialized around them. Red got on first, letting Blue get on behind him before pressing his finger against a panel, which lit up with a blue light as it scanned his fingerprint. The motorcycle roared to life and Red kicked up the stand. 

Feeling arms go around his waist, Red sped out of the alleyway, ignoring the honks of the cars he had just gotten in the way of. Though neither paladin cared, each going through their own emotions.

* * *

“I thought we said that the only casualties would be the sentries, and if there were people, then to only wound them.” Takashi Shirogane scolded, raising his eyebrow. He was the Black Paladin, basically the leader, and kind of like a dad to the team, despite him only being five years older.

“I’m sure they had a reason, Takashi.” Adam Wright said from across the room, not looking up from his paperwork. He was Shiro’s fiance, and served as a doctor to them, when he wasn’t working at the hospital. He too was like a father to the younger members of the team.

“Yeah, I did! She was gonna kill me! If I had just knocked her out or blasted her with fire, she would have been sent after me, better prepared now that she confirmed the rumors!” Red explained. His real name was Keith Kogane, and he had known Shiro for the longest time out of the other Paladins. 

“Keith, we can’t just kill everyone that might be a threat.” Shiro sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“I think he did the right thing. The Huntress was very talented, which is why she was guarding that post. If she hadn’t been assigned, she would have made it her mission to finish the job on Keith.” Allura Altea intervened. She was also a driving force within their team, using her inheritance to keep the team going, earning her the nickname Princess Allura. Along with her advisor, Coran Wimbleton, they led the team through the underground crime world that they knew so well.

“Yeah, me too!” Blue, or Lance McClain, spoke up. Keith rolled his eyes, knowing that he was only agreeing to help gain the favor of the Princess.

“Just, be safer next time. Here, get this stuff to Pidge and Matt and have them see what they can find.” Shiro slid the blade and the flash drive across the table, back to Keith and Lance. The pair nodded at the same time, each grabbing an item, and leaving the meeting room.

The home they were in was quite large, considering that a part of Allura’s inheritance were the multiple homes her father owned. This one had been Allura’s favorite when she was younger, so they set up base there. Each was allowed their own room, but they only stayed over when it was too late to go home, or they were going on a mission the next day. All of them had their own personal space to go back to.

Katie (a.k.a Pidge) and Matthew Holt were their local pair of genius siblings. Pidge served as the Green Paladin, having proven multiple times that brain is better than brawn. Her brother was the leader of the Rebels, an alliance group that worked with Voltron. Though he spent most of his time with the team, working with Pidge to develop new tech and weapons. 

Keith and Lance found them in the underground lab that Allura had created for them, tailored for their experiments. It was also where the team trained with their powers and weapons.

The two were currently hunched over a project, no doubtedly too wrapped up in their work to notice the two Paladins. 

Lance turned to Keith, mouthing ‘Watch this,’ with a grin as he proceeded to sneak up on the pair. Keith rolled his eyes.

Just as Lance was about to shout, Keith spoke instead. “Hey guys.”

“Holy shit!” Matt screeched, jerking back and elbowing Lance’s ribs. The Blue Paladin yelped out in pain, hunching over. Keith looked at Pidge, who mirrored his unimpressed expression.

“Hey Keith, I see you two are back from the mission.” the Green Paladin said, now amused as Matt leant over Lance to try and comfort him. Keith ignored them, walking up to her.

“Yeah, and we come bearing gifts.” Keith held up the blade. At the mention of gifts, Matt perked up. He reached over Lance to snatch the blade from Keith, examining it with his eye before taking it to begin testing on it.

“That’s only one.” Pidge folded her arms. Lance wheezed one last time before standing up straight, holding up the flash drive. Pidge smiled and took it, letting the Blue Paladin lean against the counter.

“Matt, how often do you hit the gym? Fucking elbows of steel, I swear.” Lance managed, wincing as he rubbed his hand over it.

“Adam and I just started hitting up the gym together.” Matt called over his shoulder. Keith tossed Lance a confused look.

“You literally get shot at almost every night and Matt’s  _ elbow _ is your defeat?” he asked incredulously. Lance scowled. “My elbows are about to be your defeat, mullet!”

The Red Paladin rolled his eyes, before going to Matt’s station. The Rebel leader had already used a laser to slice off a piece of the metal and currently had it going through a scanner. It soon printed out a file that had the exact details.

Keith peered over his shoulder to try and read what it was, though Matt read it much faster than he did, slamming down the piece of paper on the table before Keith could finish. 

Keith grabbed it, scanning through it. He furrowed his brows, all of the metals seeming normal to him. It shouldn’t have elicited such a reaction from Matt.

“So what, you working your hacker magic?” Lance said from across the room, whistling noisily. Pidge didn’t look up from the computer. “Keith, my dear friend, get Lance out of here before I break his nose.”

“I didn’t do anything!” Lance whined. The Red Paladin went over to him, grabbing his wrist.

“C’mon Loverboy. This is grown up work!” Keith pushed Lance into the elevator that had brought them down there. The glass doors slid shut, sensing someone inside. Lance’s eyes widened and he banged against the glass.

“No, wait,” Keith pressed the button signaling to go up, Lance’s muffled voice shouting, “Keith!” as the elevator took him back to the upstairs area.

Keith waited a couple minutes to make sure Lance wouldn’t come back down before turning back to the siblings. “So, did you guys find anything?”

“The drive has a list of profiles on some of the most powerful CEOs. There’s also blueprints for the HQ of those companies. I doubt this is the only copy they have, but it’s still a good find.” Pidge said. “There’s some other things I have yet to decode but since they went through the extra security of crypting it, I’m sure there’s some good stuff.”

Keith nodded, before turning to Matt. “And with the blade?”

Matt turned to look at both of them, a panicked look in his eyes. “Go upstairs and get everyone in the meeting room.”

Keith and Pidge glanced at each other but didn’t question him, knowing that he wouldn’t call the meeting over nothing.

* * *

“What do you guys think he found?” Hunk Garrett asked. He was the final one, the Yellow Paladin. Lance had found him in the kitchen, and the Blue Paladin had been grumbling about being kicked out of the lab. The two were in the middle of stress baking when Pidge said that they had to go into the meeting room.

“I would have known if stupid Keith hadn’t kicked me out.” Lance pouted, folding his arms over his chest. His eyes found the Red Paladin, who sat on Shiro’s right. He seemed to be lost in thought, small embers leaving his fingers. 

Lance looked down at his own hand, willing ice to form on the tips of his fingers. Hunk’s voice cut through, making the small pieces fall. The noise was barely audible but when Lance looked back at Keith, it had been enough to stir him out of his daze.

“Lance, last time Pidge and Matt let you hang around, you almost flooded the lab. So, their wariness is understandable.” Lance frowned, not accepting the excuse.  _ I’m still a Paladin, and I deserve to know what’s going on. _

A purring in the back of his mind started up, and he knew it was the Blue Lion trying to comfort him. Each Paladin had a mental link with their own Lion, each of them a different color.

When Paladins and Lions became bonded, the Paladins also absorbed the powers of the Lion. The Blue Lion was the Guardian of the Water, so therefore Lance had all powers relating to water. He had yet to unlock some of them but he had access to the most basic. The Red Lion was the Guardian of Fire, Green was the Guardian of the Forest, Yellow being the Guardian of the Earth, and finally, the Black Lion was the Guardian of the Sky. 

Allura’s father Alfor had been the one to discover the ancient spirits of the Guardians, who took the form of a lion. He had learned that they selected Paladins, or the human they decided was worthy. These people were those that were destined to keep the world safe.

Zarkon Daibazaal was the Black Paladin before, but the power went to his head. He decided that instead, the Paladins should rule over the world. His team didn’t share this idea, so in a rampage, he wiped out everyone that disagreed with him, including his teammates. With enough coaxing, Alfor persuaded the Guardians to end their link and hide before Zarkon possessed all five power sources. He started an organized crime operation named the Galra, that had slowly been infiltrating the city to try and find the Guardians, using his company as a front. After her mother died ten years after her father, Allura decided that it was time to find the Guardians and their Paladins again. 

“Sorry that I kept you guys waiting but I just had to make sure.” the blade Matt had been given was now confined in a plexiglass box. 

Coran furrowed his bright orange eyebrows. “Matthew, why is it in a box?”

The Rebel leader went to the front of the room and placed it on a pedestal. 

“It’s more dangerous than it seems. See, when I went through Allura’s father’s journal on the Guardians, he included alchemic formulas on how to basically kill the Guardian. It may not kill the Paladin, but if the Paladin is hit with a weapon that has the formula, it will kill the mental link and eventually kill the Lion. I know it doesn’t make any sense. Like, how is something physical going to destroy something that isn’t even there? But, Alfor was a very intelligent man, and he wouldn’t include something like that if he didn’t believe it.” Matt rambled, beginning to pace around the room nervously.

Allura fixed him down with her stare. “Matt, what is your point?”

“Okay, so I scanned the blade. And it had traces of the alchemic formula to kill the Yellow Lion.” 

Lance felt Hunk tense up next to him, each member of the team expressing their own form of shock.

“Wait, what?” Shiro was astonished. Adam put a hand on his arm, squeezing lightly. 

“That’s why I had to put it in the box. Each of you have a different formula of destruction so even though it would only affect Hunk, it’s better to be safe than sorry. We’re just lucky that Keith was the one fighting the Huntress. And well, here’s another hard part to understand. Alfor is the only one that knows of these formulas, besides us. But a dead man can’t tell his secrets. So where the fuck did the Galra get these formulas?” Matt shouted, as though he was talking to himself. 

Pidge stood up, going over to her brother and sitting him down next to her, sensing that he had to cool off.

“Allura, do you know of anyone that your dad might have told?” Keith asked, eyes narrowed in suspicion.

The woman shook her head, fingers pressed to her temples in stress. “I have no idea. He wouldn’t have told anyone, I know that. But whoever figured it out must have known the Original Paladins, or be connected to all of you.” 

“The only other alchemist that was close to your father’s skill was Honerva Celestial. She married Zarkon almost thirty years ago, but after he went after the other Paladins, she hasn’t been heard of.” Coran spoke up, twirling his mustache between his fingers.

“We can’t worry too much about who found out, we have to worry about protecting ourselves against them!” Hunk interrupted. He was the most worried, considering that the death of his Lion could be caused by a knife less than ten feet away from him. Lance patted his shoulder in an attempt to comfort him.

“Hunk is right. We have to be able to know whether or not a weapon being used against us is going to mean game over.” Lance’s voice was strong, but Keith’s voice was stronger.

“But if we find the source, we can find out who else knows. Compiling a list of targets is easier than worrying if every little thing means the end.” he argued.

Lance scowled. “What, are you planning to kill them all? Well sorry to kill your murder mood, but we weren’t given the powers to be weapons!” 

“You haven’t even gained full control of powers so of course you won’t be able to hurt anyone. I’m suggesting this only for the qualified people!”

“Yeah well I’ll give you a quality ass kicking!” Lance stood up, a thin layer of ice covering his palm due to his anger. Keith stood up as well, already with a fireball in hand.

“Enough!” Shiro boomed, the whole room falling silent. He glared at Keith and Lance.

“Both of you stop acting like little children! It’s clear to me that you two have issues that outweigh your concern for the life of a fellow Paladin and even the fate of the universe. Can I trust you to resolve these issues?” Shiro’s voice was calm, but managed to raise panic in both the Red and Blue Paladin.

“Can I?” he pressed when none of them answered.

“Yes sir.” the two replied in unison. 

“Good. It’s late and I think all of us will be able to think much clearer with some sleep.” Shiro said, signaling that the meeting was over. Murmurs of agreement sounded throughout the rest of the team. They all separated, Shiro, Adam, Allura, Matt, and Coran leaving to their rooms that were on the second story. Pidge and Hunk walked to their rooms which were on the left, words of comfort leaving Pidge as she rubbed Hunk’s back.

Keith and Lance walked to their rooms in silence, neither of them willing to even look at the other. Keith’s room came first and he basically slammed the door shut, telling Lance that he would be pissed for a while. The Blue Paladin sighed as he reached the room a bit further down the hall and across from Keith’s. 

He shut the door behind him, tiredly stripping off his uniform and getting into bed with only a pair of briefs on. 

His dreams would only be plagued with weapons, arguing, and a pair of elusive violet eyes.

**Author's Note:**

> Please bear with me with this fic. I am still getting back into the flow of writing, so I don't know if this will have steady updates. As for Bounded, I will no longer be continuing it. I will leave it up, but, I don't have the same passion I used to when I began it. I hope you all understand.  
> Thank you for any kudos or comments, I really appreciate it! Here's to 2021 not being as shitty as 2020.


End file.
